In our last newsletter we informed you that the Town would be doing further traffic studies in the summer months and some of you might have heard of a plan for a study at Burnet and Wilson Streets and an additional study at the intersection of Brant and John Streets, where residents see a need for four way stop signs.
In the meantime, we have been advised that the Town will be holding a virtual meeting on June 14th to discuss traffic concerns and all West Harbour residents are invited to attend. Please see details below.
The Halton Environment Network and the Small Change Fund has recently established the Green Drive Oakville project which is working to explore a possible a new community business that would employ local Oakville residents to install Electric Vehicle (EV) chargers and green driveways in homes within our community.
The Green Drive Oakville team is currently doing market research and need our help – they want to find out what Oakville residents think about EV chargers, electric cars (including ones to be made in Oakville), and removing old asphalt and concrete driveways and replacing them with permeable surfaces that reduce the strain put on the town’s stormwater system.
The Regional Official Plan (ROP) is a land use policy document created by Halton Region to shape the Region’s future growth and development. Halton Region is currently in the midst of the Regional Official Plan Review which takes place every 5 years.
Item #6 on the agenda will be the delegation from the Garden Drive Residents Association, who oppose the proposed Official Plan and Zoning By-law Amendment to 105, 115-159 Garden Drive. This is the group that WHRA supports in their submission to Oakville Town Council to deny the application submitted by Revera/SmartCentres, to build a for profit retirement home on the property.
We hope you are able to view this Council meeting as this proposed project would have a big impact on our West Harbour community.
We would like to share with you an opportunity to participate in an online home energy survey being conducted by the Halton Energy Network (HEN). HEN is a local non-profit exploring how we can help Halton homeowners make their homes more energy efficient.
The results of this survey will be included in assessing the feasibility of a social purpose organization (whose mission supports profit and community benefits) to support home energy upgrades (also known as deep energy retrofits). The survey is confidential, but they will also share statistics back with the community. It will remain open until February 14, 2021. Please see the attached document for more details.
As we approach December we want to wish you a safe and happy Holiday season, even though it might be totally different for you this year.
Due to the Covid-19 restrictions, your Executive Committee has not been meeting as often as we would like and we weren’t able to hold any of our usual social events or the Annual General Meeting. For that reason and because we have not spent any of our funds, we won’t be collecting the annual membership dues. We would like to suggest that you donate your membership dues to one of our local charities, e.g. Kerr Street Mission, Salvation Army, Fair Share (food bank) or any other that is dear to your heart. Our local retailers and restaurants are suffering during the pandemic and we know you will support them in person and online whenever you can.
Our Ward 2 Councillors have been hard at work in different ways and the Mayor has been sending out a daily newsletter to keep us all aware of what is going on with Covid-19 and the Town of Oakville, the Region of Halton and the Province of Ontario. We would strongly encourage you to sign up for the Mayor’s newsletter via this link.
There are several new developments in process. The ground has been broken for 22 townhouses at the corner of Brookfield Road and Lakeshore. There is a condominium development proposed for the site at Maurice Drive and Lakeshore. The building occupied by the Dog Guides at the corner of Rebecca and Kerr Street will be re-developed as a multi storey retirement home/apartment building. An application has been made for a retirement home on Lakeshore Road between Maurice Drive and Garden Drive. We are ever hopeful that the vacant site at Chisholm Street and Lakeshore Road will be developed in the near future. The new owner of the site appears to be making some progress with respect to the historic house that is on the property. There is nothing to report on the old Mexica Rosa’s site, other than the Town has amended the Official Plan to allow for a multi storey building higher than 4 stories if the site is sold to a developer. The Province has imposed new rules that override the Town’s Official Plan and we might expect more density in the future.
Our beautiful new park incorporating Waterworks, Tannery and Shipyards parks was well used during the summer months but for some of the residents living in the neighbourhood it created problems with traffic, parking and unruly behaviour on the part of some of the park visitors. Those residents approached the WHRA and we referred them on to the Councillors. As a result, the Town implemented new parking rules, increased the parking fines and undertook a Traffic Study of the whole neighbourhood. The report of that study will be forthcoming in the Spring of 2021. In the meantime, the concerned residents undertook their own survey which we believe they intend to present to the Town.
We would like to keep our membership list up to date and ask that if you have changed location or your email address please let us know. Also please advise us of any new households that you are aware of so we can put a membership flyer in their mailbox and welcome them to the neighbourhood.
Thanks for your understanding and Happy Holidays. Stay safe.
Excerpt from Ward 2 Councillors Newsletter Fall 2020
#PROJECT NOISEMAKER
Project Noisemaker is an initiative to address noise issues created by loud, illegally modified vehicles, including cars, trucks and motorcycles. HRPS reports that inspections of vehicles creating unnecessary noise are often other accompanied by unsafe vehicle conditions and aggressive driving behaviours. The program runs until October 31, 2020.
Since May 2020, when the #Project Noisemaker program was introduced, HRPS has laid over 1,000 charges and Town of Oakville Municipal Enforcement Services has laid dozens of charges for noise related to loud motorcycles (charges issued under the Town’s by law).
In 2019, the Better for People, Smarter for Business Act, S.O. 2019, c. 14 was enacted to amend the Highway Traffic Act (HTA) to include a new section (s. 75.1) that would make it an offence to tamper with motor vehicles by: (a) removing, bypassing, defeating or rendering inoperative all or part of a motor vehicle’s emission control system; or (b) modifying a motor or motor vehicle in any way that results in increased emissions from the level to which it was originally designed or certified by the manufacturer of the motor or motor vehicle. Unfortunately, s.75.1 has never been proclaimed to be in effect.
In order to support Halton’s police service and help deter drivers from the offences outlined in Bill C.14, Oakville Town Council recently unanimously passed a resolution that calls on the Province to proclaim s.75.1 of the Highway Traffic Act and bring it into force immediately.
Members of the community can continue to call the Halton Regional Police Service non-emergency line 905-825-4777 to report nuisance-related concerns.
Excerpt from the Mayor’s newsletter November 25 2020Province recommends celebrating holidays with only those you live with
Today the Ontario government, based on advice from the Chief Medical Officer of Health and input from the Public Health Measures Table, provided preliminary guidance for celebrating the upcoming holiday season, recommending Ontarians only celebrate with members of their own households.
This is sure to come as disappointing news for those who were hoping to gather with family they have been unable to see all year, but is necessary to help flatten the curve and slow the spread of COVID-19.
Those who live alone are able to gather with one household, but there are indoor gathering limits across all zones of Ontario’s framework including a limit of 10 for those in Green, Yellow and Orange and five in Red. In lockdown, indoor gatherings are not permitted except for those of a single household.
This is more encouragement for us to collectively do our part to keep Halton out of lockdown.
Follow public health advice: Stay home if you’re feeling unwell, wash and sanitize your hands frequently, cover coughs and sneezes, maintain a physical distance from others and wear a mask when you can’t and when mandated. Please also follow my three Cs of COVID-caution to avoid crowded places, closed spaces and close-contact settings.
Regional Official Plan Review The Regional Official Plan (ROP) is a land use policy document created by Halton Region to shape the Region’s future growth and development. The Regional Official Plan Review (ROPR) is currently underway. It will impact local planning in Oakville, Burlington, Milton and Halton Hills.Halton Region is currently asking for feedback on a set of five Discussion Papers that may be of interest:·
Natural Heritage: Natural heritage system policies to preserve the natural environment and protect source water.·
Climate Change: Land-use policies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and adapt to climate change.·
North Aldershot Planning Area: Implications of growth management, natural heritage and a rural and agricultural system in North Aldershot in the City of Burlington.
The Region wants to hear from you! The Discussion Papers, short summary pages and information on upcoming Public Information Centres are now available at halton.ca/ropr.
As we know that many are finding it challenging ordering deliveries of essential items, we have decided to share that Chris Merrick, a WHRA resident, has offered his delivery service to the community. His information is attached.
During these challenging times the businesses of Kerr Village and Downtown Oakville require our support. Many have shifted their businesses to allow residents to enjoy take out or delivery services.
